Why data visualisation?

• Data visualisation ➡️ an integral part of research communication

• Exciting new open source 📊 📈 📉 technologies are revolutionising the potential for dataviz as an impactful research output.

• Little support for training in best practice and tooling

gapminder.org: 2006

liberating stories from data

gapminder.org: today

liberating stories from data

gapmider at our fingertips

library(ggplot2)

p <- ggplot(gapminder::gapminder, aes(gdpPercap, lifeExp, size = pop, color = continent, frame = year)) +
  geom_point() + scale_x_log10() + theme_bw()

plotly::ggplotly(p)

with power comes responsibility

http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

Calling Bulls__t

Data Reasoning in a Digital World: Syllabus

Week 6. Data visualization. Data graphics can be powerful tools for understanding information, but they can also be powerful tools for misleading audiences. We explore the many ways that data graphics can steer viewers toward misleading conclusions.

background: recap

• Huge opportunities.

• Upskilling might be required but worth it

• Focus on Best Practice necessary.

Enter dataviz.shef

A joint initiative between:

• The University Library

• Corporate Information and Computing Services (CICS)

• Research Software Engineering (RSE)

• soon joined forces with the Oxford Interactive Data Network

dataviz.shef goal:

Promote and build community around data visualisation at the University of Sheffield

The team

previous members

orda.shef.ac.uk

orda.shef.ac.uk/visualisations/

Visualisation Showcase goals

• Help promote researchers’ reposited data

• Promote data visualisation as impactful research outputs

Path to achieving them

Q: How do we help our researchers make the most of their data and modern data visualisation tools?

Path to achieving them

Q: How do we help our researchers make the most of their data and modern data visualisation tools?

Let’s ask them!

Department

Position

Analysis Frameworks

Current Data Visualisation tools

Aspirational Data Visualisation tools

Experience

Main take aways

• Still a lot of Excel use

• R and Python top of researchers aspirations

• Broad interest in a variety of more niche tools

• Skill, expertise and level of interest are distributed

Proposed action

Develop capacity through community

via GIPHY

Develop community of practice

🙌 👩‍💻 🤝 👨‍🔬 👩‍🎓 🤝 👨‍🏫 👨‍💻 🤝 👩‍🔬 👨‍🎓 👩‍🏫 🙌 👯

Support through:

• Documentation on dataviz best practice and use of tools
• Communication channels
• Capacity building opportunities through Events

OxShef

Main home of best practice and tooling documentation

• OxShef: Charts http://oxshef-charts.netlify.com/index.html

• OxShef: Tools http://oxshef-charts.netlify.com/index.html

• twitter: @oxshef_dataviz

Full credits for work so far to Martin Hadley of The University of Oxford IDN]

Chart type vs tool matrix

• Comprehensive list of chart types

• Resources for developing the same charts using different tools.

• Initial focus on R and Python but open for expansion

dataviz.shef:

Data Visualisation Hub website

• Information on community events and activities

• Documentation specific to the ORDA Data Visualisation showcase

Open Source Documentation

• All materials are CC-BY

• All materials are open for contribution on GitHub
• Got a suggestion 💡? Bug report? Feel free to open an issue.

Data Visualisation Hub Blog

Launch

Workshops

Instructor and/or peer to peer led.

Upcoming

• Data Visualisation in R using ggplot2 (Jun-Jul)

Wishlist

• Data Visualisation in Python using altair

• Data Visualisation in vegalite

• Interactive Data Visualisation in Shiny (R) & Dash (Python)

• Interactive mapping with Leaflet

Symposia

Hackathons

NBN Sheffield R Users Group hack:

@Sheffield_R_ @NBNTrust #BiodiversityHack is go! First stage: data dive & brainstorm! #rstats #openscience pic.twitter.com/0N9Re8roM5

— annakrystalli (@annakrystalli) March 1, 2016

Coding clubs

Soooooo cool to be joining @tbyhdgs and @embl Heidelberg #BioIT coding club remotely to work through D3.js

😃😃😃😃 pic.twitter.com/2bIxSrScMo

— annakrystalli (@annakrystalli) February 1, 2018

Meetups

Sheffield Data For Good

Bringing together the data and social expertise in Sheffield to help tackle the city’s social problems

Success is in the network

• Share your data visualisations on ORDA showcase

• Join the google group &/or slack community

• Contribute to the blog

• Contribute to the documentation

• Get in touch with ideas for training, coding clubs, hackathons

dataviz.shef.ac.uk

• a.krystalli[at]sheffield.ac.uk